Irish writer Siobhán Parkinson is a novelist who specializes in the youngest readers, having earned her country’s children’s literature laureate award from 2010 to 2012.
In the 15th episode of #mindpower she reads Rainis’ riddle about the golden ball of yarn after talking about her specialized craft amongst a generally quite literary nation, whose people are always ready to tell a story. Meanwhile Rainis himself, as played by singer-songwriter Goran Gora, entertains a crowd of kindergarteners with the same mindbender of natural philosophy.
In the 16th episode Rainis tries out a speech listing his achievements as Education Minister in the 1920’s, but Aspazija, playing the role of Prime Minister in the actual Cabinet of Ministers’ meeting room, helps him out by ticking a few too many off herself.
After Rainis has duly impressed his life companion with the cavalcade of his ministerial accomplishments, Pavol Demeš, the Slovak politician-turned-diplomat, hails his nation’s new optimistic outlook as a state at the heart of Europe, then gives his own reading of Rainis’ aphorism written on March 10, 1921 calling for the cultural striving of mankind to transcend his loathing of himself and others and finally start the ‘new era’.
